Feature Request: Support for \nicefrac in Discourse Math (\KaTeX/\MathJax)

Meta Feature
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Feature Request: Add Support for \nicefrac in Discourse Math Rendering

Summary

Please add support for the \nicefrac{a}{b} command in Discourse math rendering. This diagonal-style fraction is compact and ideal for inline expressions, improving readability without disrupting line spacing.

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Why \nicefrac?

  • Produces clean, diagonal (slashed) fractions like $ \nicefrac{1}{2} $
  • More elegant than 1/2 and less bulky than \dfrac{1}{2}
  • Common in physics, statistics, and mathematical writing

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Implementation Notes

Discourse might be able to support math via KaTeX or MathJax, depending on the installed plugin. This feature request outlines implementation for both:

MathJax

MathJax might support \nicefrac if an extension is loaded:

MathJax.Hub.Config({ TeX: { extensions: ["AMSmath.js", "nicefrac.js"] }});

This could mean no core changes are needed — so you could just update the plugin config to enable the extension.

KaTeX

KaTeX does not support \nicefrac natively. It might be possible that the following workaround macro can be added:

macros: { "\\nicefrac": "\\raisebox{.5ex}{\\footnotesize #1}/\\raisebox{-.25ex}{\\footnotesize #2}"}

Alternatively, it might be worth investigating support through third-party KaTeX extensions such as katex-extension.

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Reproduction

Try rendering the following:

$\nicefrac{3}{4}$

Result in KaTeX:

`KaTeX parse error: Undefined control sequence: \nicefrac

Result in MathJax (if extension not loaded):

~~LaTeX Error: Command \nicefrac undefined~~ `MathJax parse error: Undefined control sequence: \nicefrac

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Expected Behavior

  • $ \nicefrac{3}{4} $ renders a proper diagonal fraction
  • Might be able to work consistently across both KaTeX and MathJax ~~installs~~ providers
  • Hopefully, No parse errors or user confusion

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Motivation

  • \nicefrac is widely used in LaTeX documents and teaching materials
  • Inline fractions appear more naturally in text
  • Improves math formatting in STEM-heavy Discourse communities

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References

Thank you for considering this small but valuable improvement to math rendering in Discourse!



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